Blue goes pink this month for South Shore cops

Mary Whitfill The Patriot Ledger thelittlewreck

Friday

Oct 5, 2018 at 11:34 AMOct 5, 2018 at 5:54 PM

For Hingham Sgt. Steven Dearth, it's about his mom; for Hull Deputy Chief Neil Reilly, it's about his aunt. In Quincy, Sgt. Karyn Barkas remembers her mother, who died earlier this year, and her sister, a three-year survivor, when she wears the pink patch.

They are among the hundreds of police officers in more than a dozen departments across the South Shore who ditch their usual uniform patches in October in favor of bright pink versions to support and raise money for breast cancer research and treatment. Known as the Pink Patch Project, the movement started in Los Angeles County California and has since spread to more than 300 departments.

Dearth's mother is a 21-year breast cancer survivor. Reilly's aunt died years ago after a grueling battle with the disease.

"Just seeing what my cousins went through during (my aunt's) treatment, and then what they went through when they lost her, it was terrible," Reilly said. "To be able to go to work everyday and see that patch, it definitely shows support."

Barkas said officers hear some amazing stories when they wear the pink patch. "Just last Saturday, when we were selling the patches, we met a woman going through chemotherapy. It's amazing how many people are affected, how many lives it touches and how many people are willing to tell their story."

The project is a national collaboration, but each police department runs its own program, designing the patches, selling them and other Breast Cancer Month merchandise and donating the proceeds to a charity of its choice.

"That's the beauty of this project, you can do whatever you want," Dearth, whose department raised almost $2,300 last year, said. "The project helps a lot of different charities, large and small."

Most local departments donate to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, but some, like Norwell and Quincy, like to keep it even more local. Norwell donates annually to the Cancer Support Community, and Quincy this year will give to Marisa's Mission in Braintree.

"I talked with Chief (Paul) Keenan and we really want to keep it local," Barkas said. "We know that Dana Farber does unbelievable work, but we wanted to keep it to organizations that we know service people in Quincy, so that's what we decided."

The Scituate Police Department is getting involved for the first time this year, and will donate all of its earnings to the NVNA and Hospice center in Norwell.

"A lot of people know family members, friends, people in the community who have had breast cancer, and it's kind of a unique thing with the pink patches," Scituate Sgt. Jim Gilmartin said. "If we can help out a segment of the community who deserves it, it’s our honor to do it."

Officers sell the patches to the public, but many departments have gone beyond that, also selling hats, bumper stickers, t-shirts and sweatshirts. Quincy officers sell products every Friday night in October at Quincy Farmers Market. Hull, Scituate and Hingham sell the gear at police stations.

In most departments, officers buy their own merchandise for themselves and their families, down to the patch on each shoulder. And they consider it money well spent.

"It provokes conversation," Reilly, whose raised almost $1,500 last year, said. "We're in the community every day, and when someone sees us wearing them, they ask about it. It’s a way to show support for breast cancer survivors and their families, and to remember those who didn't make it."

In Hingham, Dearth and other officers custom designed badges with pink accents for each rank.

"They were relatively expensive, but about 20 of us in the department thought they were worth the splurge," Dearth said. "Now we can keep them for years and wear them every October. It's not going to change the world, but it's a little something."

For Barkas, the project is a way to honor the memory of her mom and support her sister. The Quincy police department has raised almost $10,000 since 2015.

"It hits very, very close to home," she said. We had no family history, and it came as a complete shock. We believed she was in remission, but unfortunately it snuck into her bones and we didn’t realize it. It's always been important to me, so when I saw the Pink Patch Project on social media, I immediately approached the chief."

In Hingham, Dearth has collected and framed than 60 pink patches from different departments across the country and displays photographs of people like Shaquille O'Neal, Donnie Wahlberg and mascots of the New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins showing off tehe badges.

"They have giant social media presences, so that's huge for us," Dearth said. "We are really proud to have been a leader for the project in Massachusetts, but to see it keep spreading is even better."